When to plant Cabbage in Kilosa

Save as PDF

Cabbage

Morogoro, United Republic of Tanzania

Known here as kabichi · kabeji

Cabbage is a cool-season leafy vegetable that packs its whole harvest into one dense, round head on a short stem.

Cabbage in Kilosa, rain-fed and with irrigation
Measure Rain-fed With irrigation
Fit Moderate
When to plant 6 Mar 2027 – 16 Mar 2027 opens in 22 weeks 1 Jan 2026 – 30 Sep 2026
Expected harvest about 18.7 t/ha same
Harvest From 5 May 2027 to 3 Aug 2027, depending on the planting date
Ready to harvest 60–140 days after planting
Work it takes 118–211 days per hectare, by hand
Rain meets its needs 94%

Rain-fed. These dates are worked out from each place's own rainfall, for a field watered by the season — with irrigation a window can open earlier, close later, or come round more than once a year. Check your own field under What grows, or get the Divisi app for a calendar dated to your farm.

If you only get one chance to plant, aim for around 6 Mar 2027. That is the point in the window where the rains are most reliably established.

This season's rainfall outlook for Kilosa is close to normal, so these dates match the pattern the area usually follows.

Planting after 16 Mar 2027 leaves the crop short of season: it runs into the dry months before it has finished filling.

What decides this in Kilosa

Rain and temperature 88%
The soil 76%
The lie of the land 45%

For cabbage in Kilosa, the lie of the land is the tightest of the three at 45%. You cannot flatten it, but you can farm it: plant along the contour rather than up and down, ridge or tie ridges to hold water on the slope, and expect shallower rooting than the crop would manage on flat ground.

The 2026/27 season in Kilosa

Rainy seasonsOne each year — one chance to plant, so timing carries it
When the rains are expectedNovember 2026 to May 2027
Rain in a typical yearAbout 851 mm
This season's rainRain close to usual — plan around about 851 mm falling roughly when it always does
This season's heatHotter than usual — about +1.2 °C over the growing months. Heat makes the same rain do less, so a dry spell bites sooner: do not plant late, and shade or mulch what you can.
What that supportsenough rain for one full main crop, warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season
Ground this covers3 kinds of ground. The season below is the largest that farms — about 92% of this area.
Agro-ecological zones covering this area
92% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 241 growing days · about 930 mm · October to July
4% enough rain for one full main crop; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 249 growing days · about 960 mm · October to July
3% enough rain for one short crop, and only if timed to it; warm all year, so nothing but rain ends the season 174 growing days · about 620 mm · November to May

last updated 16 September 2026

Sloping ground holds back about 45% of yield here.

What cabbage needs to grow here

Soil it likes well-drained sandy loam, loam or clay loam soil
Soil sourness (pH) Happiest between pH 6.0 and 6.8
Spacing 65 cm between rows, 40 cm between plants
Feed it most with boron, molybdenum and calcium

What it takes to grow cabbage in Kilosa

Planting materialAbout 40,000 plants per hectare
Nitrogen (N)About 56 kg per hectare
Phosphate (P₂O₅)About 13 kg per hectare
Potash (K₂O)About 56 kg per hectare
In the shopsA basal compound at planting — Compound D, or an NPK blend — covers the phosphate and potash. A nitrogen top dressing — urea or AN — goes on once the crop is established.
Hand work118–211 days per hectare, by hand

These are the nutrients a cabbage crop of that size carries off the field. What you actually apply depends on what your soil already holds — which is what a soil test, or the app's field records, tell you.

What to watch for

Pest/disease risk — manageableSteep slope

Grow Cabbage with a plan, not a guess

Everything above describes Kilosa as a whole — your own soil, slope and rainfall will shift the dates. The Divisi app works them out for your field, and dates each job that follows.

Or check your field first

Cabbage in nearby districts

This calendar moves

Planting windows shift with the forecast. Leave your email and we'll send what changed, and a note when planting time nears — a couple of emails a month at most.

Frequently asked questions

Will cabbage grow well in Kilosa?

Kilosa rates as moderate for cabbage.

When should I plant cabbage in Kilosa?

Typically 6 Mar 2027 to 16 Mar 2027, forecast-adjusted.

Is this exact for my own field?

No — these are readings taken across Kilosa, not on your field. Soil, slope and rainfall change from one farm to the next. Check your own location to see your own numbers.

Also worth considering in Kilosa

Keep going

Timing is one question. What the crop needs at every stage, what attacks it and where to sell it are the others.